Ben & Jerry's Apologizes for Jeremy Lin-Sensitivity

It didn't take too long for the sensation surrounding NBA star Jeremy Lin to be merchandized. In less than four weeks, the 23-year-old Taiwanese-American Knicks star has turned from a player to a brand. Lin himself, according to CNN, has even trademarked "Lin-sanity." And everyone seems to want to get in on the action — including Ben & Jerry's.

But not without some controversy.

The brand, which prides itself on being politically correct, has taken backlash for its "Taste The Lin-sanity" — a frozen yogurt that was sold at its scoop shop in Boston's Harvard Square. The limited-edition flavor originally contained vanilla frozen yogurt, lychee honey swirls, and fortune cookie pieces. The cookie pieces have since been removed from the recipe after some people took offense. The froyo is now being served with waffle cone cookies on the side.

"There seemed to be a bit of an initial backlash about it, but we obviously weren't looking to offend anybody and the majority of the feedback about it has been positive," Ryan Midden, Ben & Jerry's general manager for Boston and Cambridge, told The Boston Globe. He explained that they actually removed the fortune cookies because "a couple of [pints] got returned because the cookies got so soggy."

Off the court, Lin, who was the star player at Harvard University until he went pro in 2010, has seen more of what is being dubbed "Lin-sensitivity."

ESPN had to issue an apology after one of their commentators used a racial slur when reporting on Lin's superstardom. Soon after, the editor of the headline, Anthony Federico, was fired. That's probably one reason the Ben & Jerry's apology didn't end with the regional manager. The company has since issued an official release, stating, "We offer a heartfelt apology if anyone was offended by our handmade Lin-Sanity flavor. We are proud and honored to have Jeremy Lin hail from one of our fine, local universities and we are huge sports fans. Our intention was to create a flavor to honor Jeremy Lin's accomplishments and his meteoric rise in the NBA, and recognize that he was a local Harvard graduate."

Lin-sanity isn't limited to frozen yogurt flavors. The burger chain Shake Shack has created a 'Jeremy Lin-Mint' milkshake, playing off the most popular Girl Scout cookie flavor, Thin Mints. And the Knicks player has several local bars and restaurants in New York naming burgers and cocktails after him following their own Lin-spirations.

When will the Lin-sanity stop? No one knows, but it seems that Lin-sensitivy is on everyone's minds.

Do you think Ben & Jerry's needed to apologize for its original recipe using fortune cookies?